Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is reportedly eyeing deals for AC Milan defenders Alessio Romagnoli and Mattia Caldara in the winter window.
As per reports from Italian outlet Calciomercato, Premier League giants Chelsea are plotting January moves for AC Milan defensive duo Alessio Romagnoli and Mattia Caldara.
The Blues have made a solid start to the 2018-19 Premier League season under new manager Maurizio Sarri, winning all four of their matches, while conceding just three goals so far. David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger have been the preferred centre-back partnership for the Londoners, with Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill waiting in the wings.
However, the Italian gaffer doesn’t see Cahill as part of his plans moving forward and might look to offload him in January, with the Englishman in the final year of his contract. Luiz too has less than twelve months left on his deal with the Blues and isn’t likely to be offered an extension.
As a result, Sarri wants to bolster his defensive ranks once the transfer window is open in four months’ time and has identified Caldara and Romagnoli as viable options.
This is not the first time Chelsea are being linked with a move for Caldara. The Blues made an attempt to sign him from Juventus in the summer, after failing to land primary target Daniele Rugani. However, they were beaten to the transfer by Milan, with whom he has signed a five-year contract.
The 24-year old, who made his international debut for Italy in the ongoing international break, is yet to feature for his new club in the 2018-19 season. However, he made a great impression when on loan at Atalanta last season and is tipped as the future of the Azzurri defence.
Romagnoli is also held in very high regards within the club, highlighted by the fact that he was made the club captain this season. The 23-year old joined Milan in 2015 from AS Roma and has gone on to make 113 appearances for the club, including two in the ongoing campaign.
The seven-time capped Italy international still has four years left on his contract with the Rossoneri, having signed a new deal with the club just three months ago.
Both Caldara and Romagnoli are promising young talents with bright futures ahead and will strengthen the Chelsea defence considerably. Comfortable playing out from the back and technically very sound, the AC Milan duo are more than capable of fitting into the way Sarri’s teams play.
However, Chelsea’s attempts to land either of the two Italy internationals could end up proving futile, considering that Caldara only joined Milan recently and Romagnoli penned a new long-term contract not very long ago. Both are seen as the future of the club as Milan look to bring glory days back to San Siro. And it seems extremely unlikely that they will sanction a sale in January.
